It's My Penis and I'll Cry If I Want To at Pride Arts Center - The Buena

Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended

"...The performance has passion, but lacks polish; It's My Penis . . . feels underrehearsed, which shouldn’t be an issue for a remounted solo production."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...Black appears determined to leave nothing unfinished or unsaid, either, punctuating his character portraits with homilies pointing us the way—"Be vulnerable!" "Be brave!" "Be you!" Stoic playgoers may be skeptical of attributing panaceic properties to a remedy as simple as a good cry or heart-to-heart, but there can be no denying our narrator's benevolent intent in promoting more fluid boundaries to individual gender identities."

Around The Town Chicago - Recommended

"...Jamie Black, who recently stated that he completely dislikes having to create the titles for his work, has come up with a doozy for his latest: "IT'S MY PENIS AND I'LL CRY IF I WANT TO," which is playing at The Buena as part of the Pride Films and Plays. During the piece, Black even self-deprecatingly suggests that certain men may actually use the title as a battle cry. Black, who is a trans male, has performed this play at multiple Fringe Festivals throughout the United States and also enjoyed a very successful run at the Toronto Fringe Festival in the summer of 2017."

Third Coast Review - Recommended

"...It’s My Penis and I’ll Cry If I Want To is a 45-minute one-man show exploring the nuances of gender, often humorously, always movingly and inextricably linked to the many characters portrayed by Jamie Black in this seasoned performance that has run for several years in the fringe circuit. Running at the Pride Arts Center through February 11, It’s My Penis and I’ll Cry If I Want To is a good way to melt away some of the grim realities of winter with a friend or two over a few introspective, gender-bending vignettes."

Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...I have never been a fan of the word “penis,” especially in titles of things. It always feels like the word is there for shock value, to draw you into something that may further shock or offend you. That’s what I was expecting when I walked into the Buena theatre at the Pride Arts Center to see Jamie Black’s It’s My Penis and I’ll Cry if I Want To, something tactless that I wasn’t at all in the mood for. The title, however, was thankfully misleading; what I sat down to watch was a well-crafted 45 minutes of emotional reality, true perspective, and beautifully nuanced performance that made me wonder why it didn’t have a title more fitting its maturity."